


Losing Heathens

by PennyKelly



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Undercover Missions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-21
Updated: 2019-04-21
Packaged: 2020-01-23 02:21:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,808
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18540346
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PennyKelly/pseuds/PennyKelly
Summary: Hermione reminisces about the man she loves as she silently infiltrates a group of potential assassins on behalf of the reinstated Order of the Phoenix. With an unexpected ending to the mission, what might their future together hold?





	Losing Heathens

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Sing Me a Rare Volume 3. 
> 
> Song Prompt – Heathens, Twenty One Pilots

Hermione gave her reflection one last glance. The tight red dress she’d put on didn’t leave much to the imagination, chosen by design for the mission she had to complete. The fewer places to hide anything on her person, the less attention she was likely to attract. She’d agonised over the choice on the off-chance that it might pull a different kind of unwanted attention. It had happened before on missions to infiltrate various groups. She wasn’t sure if she could extract herself without her partner taking notice. She swallowed once and took a breath as she crossed toward the floo, whatever happened tonight it was time to go.   
  
“Wait…” she released the floo powder back into the pot and turned to face the man next to her.

“Theo?”

“It’s just…” he sighed heavily, rubbing the back of his neck as he considered his words.

“What is it?” Hermione gently laid a hand on his chest, drawing his wandering eyes back to her.

“These people. Some of them used to be my friends. You have to take it slow with them. Wait for them to ask you who you’re with, don’t offer any information unsolicited. Even with the mask, they’ll be trying to figure out who you are. Some of them used to be Death Eaters.”

“I know that I promise I’ll be careful. No sudden movements,” she laughed lightly with a shake of her head.

“This isn’t a joke, Hermione! Please don’t push it. You only think you know how violent they are… you don’t know the half of the abuse they’ve suffered or what they’re capable of.” She couldn’t help but notice the way his eyes quickly scanned her belly before looking back at her.

“It’s not for sure yet, love. I’m only a few days late. If I am pregnant I’ll stop taking field assignments.”

“Promise?” His steel grey eyes were filled with worry for the baby that she may carry.

“I promise,” she pressed onto her toes to reach the lips of the lanky man just as she had every day since they’d been together.

 

Hermione scanned the crowded room, there was no way to know who anyone was behind the elaborate masquerade masks they wore. The purpose of tonight’s mission was not to identify anyone but to gather as much information as they could about a possible assassination plot against Minister Shacklebolt. Theo had given what names he knew to the other members of the third iteration of The Order of the Phoenix. Harry had resurrected it as a secret branch of the Aurors, among the new members he’d chosen Theodore Nott to the surprise of many. He’d been one of only a couple Slytherins who’d broken ranks and fought for the side of good that night at Hogwarts. Few had learned of his life long deception against his father, hating the idea of blood purity and despising his family’s connection to the Death Eaters.

 

She tried to keep Theo’s concerns in mind as she wound her way through the room wordlessly, utilising an in-ear amplifier created by George Weasley to focus in on the hushed conversations happening around her and mentally filing away any information that may be helpful. She moved slowly, despite her keyed up nerves, occasionally pretending to sip from the champagne glass that had been pressed into her hand upon entry. It was laced with something, Theo had caught it immediately. His superior knowledge of potions was something she’d found incredibly sexy the more she’d gotten to know him. Her memory took her back to the first time she’d visited him in his Ministry lab, not there for any particular reason other than an inexplicable draw to the man. She hadn’t known much about him in school and wanted to learn everything she could. He wasn’t the Death Eater sympathising pureblood she’d once thought. He was an incredibly forward thinker, just good at keeping a low profile.   
  
So far, no one had approached her except to offer a refill on the glass she occasionally dumped into nearby planters when no one was looking, not wanting to risk vanishing it. Some of the people seemed overly jumpy anytime someone came too close. She could feel the hair on the back of her neck stand up anytime she got too close. She didn’t know what violence these people had suffered, but any movement too quickly in their direction seemed to cause a panic. She wondered how many of them had been destined for Azkaban at one point or another. How many they’d lost. She recalled the night Theo learned his father would be sent away. He’d been one of the last tried that day and Hermione had held Theo’s hand the whole time in the observation box. Just because he’d surrendered his wand at the door, as was required of the families whose loved ones were on trial, didn’t mean that he wasn’t a bomb waiting to explode. He’d lingered long after the verdict had been delivered and just stared into the middle distance, tears welling in the eyes she’d learned to love in their storminess.   
  
“Theo?” she whispered, giving his hand three little squeezes to try and pull him back to her.

“What if it’s genetic?” he asked after a prolonged silence, turned to face her with furrowed brows.

“What if what’s genetic?” she looked at him quizzically, this was not the response she expected he’d have.

“What if… what if I have some sort of psychopathy like my father? A murderer waiting to happen? How could you love someone like me?”

“Theodore Nott, do not be ridiculous,” she said firmly, taking his face in her hands so he couldn’t look away from her.

“Listen to me. You are not some sort of heathen. You are not your father. If you were, how’d you get here sitting next to me?”

“I… I really don’t know,” he sighed and gently took her wrist in his hand, turning it to kiss her palm.

“I do love you. You know that, yes?”

“Yes, Hermione, I know. Let’s go home,” he leaned down to kiss her softly before standing and keeping her hand in his as he walked toward the exit.

 

She smiled behind her mask. They’d moved in together shortly thereafter and a few months later they’d been asked to join the Order. The incredibly intelligent, gentle, and soft-spoken man she loved and hoped to someday marry was not like many of the others she’d met on these missions over the last three years. He wasn’t a jumpy victim of violence visited upon him during the war. He wasn’t some monster questioning every outsider like they were there to strip away his magic and his lineage. No, he didn’t lean disturbingly close as if to sniff out her lack of blood purity as if it was something one could smell. He trusted her without question as she did him. These others… they were always fearful of secret intentions. Hurling accusations before you could even open your mouth. Tonight, however, was strangely quiet. Very few people had approached anyone they hadn’t arrived with. She hadn’t overheard much that would be of use and hoped that Theo was having better luck.

 

She took a few more steps before an explosion seemed to rock the room. There were screams as a mass of bodies spilt into the room that had been warded against disapparition. Masks were being thrown left and right as people as everyone desperately tried to improve their sightlines to see what was going on.

 

“Ministry of Magic Aurors, stay where you are!” she could hear Harry’s voice assisted by a sonorous charm. She spun toward the voice and dropped her mask, trying to grab her wand as it jumped from the holster under her dress and sped to the outstretched hand of one of the Aurors.

 

“Harry!” Hermione and Theo yelled in unison as they stumbled toward him.

“We couldn’t get word to you the wards here are too strong. We caught Travers. We thought he’d died at the Battle of Hogwarts, but he’s still alive and the leader of this lot,” he gestured to the room of wandless people being detained one-by-one by the mass of Aurors that he’d brought with him.

“Travers? I remember him. He was close with my father,” Theo wordlessly and wandlessly called his and Hermione’s wands to him. His actions were met with raised brows and a low whistle from Harry.

“Didn’t know you could do that, Nott,” Harry shook his head as Hermione smiled and reached for the hand of the now blushing man.

“Suppose that makes me a bit of a freakshow, doesn’t it?” he mumbled in embarrassment.

“We’re all a bit weird, love,” Hermione soothed as she squeezed his hand three times.   
“I’ll need you to come by my office tomorrow and report anything of interest, I imagine it’s going to take a while to get everyone here processed,” Harry indicated toward the line of people being slowly moved out in invisible restraints.

“Would you like us to stay and help?” Hermione offered, knowing he wouldn’t.

“You two go get some rest. You’ve been undercover a lot this week,” he walked away from them with a lopsided grin before they made their way passed the prisoners toward the floo in the entryway.

 

Theo groaned as he settled in next to Hermione on the couch, two cups of tea settling themselves on the coffee table before them to cool.

“That was a bit anticlimactic,” Hermione sighed. It wasn’t often she saw much action these days.

“Well, maybe not in the way you’d hoped,” Theo swallowed audibly as he pulled something from his trouser pocket.

“Theo…” her breath caught as he opened the little box to reveal a dainty ruby set in a delicate thin band.

“I don’t know how I ended up here, sitting next to you, but I’m honestly glad I did. In losing the heathens and abusers I once called family and my friends, I’ve gained something much more valuable. You’ve been so patient with me as I’ve learned how to move through life without layers of secrecy to protect who I truly am. When you first moved in with me I couldn’t believe it and that you’ve stayed all this time still shocks me. I know people warned you, but you saw through their misunderstanding and you didn’t keep away from me. I’ve felt on the outside of things for so long and you’ve helped me find my place. Hermione Jean Granger, will you marry me?”

 

“Of course I will! You’re one of us, Theo, always will be. And baby or no I want to be with you forever,” she watched as he slid the ring onto her finger before pulling his face to her and snogging him soundly through happy tears.

 


End file.
